1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to computer database systems, and more specifically relates to specialized partitioned tables in a computer database system where the partitioned tables are divided into data allocation containers (DACs) where data is placed into the DACs based on usage of the data in past queries.
2. Background Art
Database systems allow a computer to store a large amount of information in a way that allows a user to search for and retrieve specific information in the database. The information is typically stored in database tables. The tables contain columns and rows of data. The data in the table is related to or associated with other data in corresponding columns and rows. Relationships of the data are stored in indexes.
Retrieval of information from a database is typically done using queries. A database query typically includes one or more predicate expressions interconnected with logical operators. The database is searched for records that satisfy the query, and those records are returned as the query result. In database systems it is common for identical or closely related queries to be issued frequently.
Partitioned tables are used to improve the scalability and manageability of large tables and tables that have varying access patterns. When tables and indexes become very large, partitioning can help by partitioning the data into smaller, more manageable sections. In the prior art, an partitioned table is a database table that takes related data and combines the data into separate containers, or combines the data together to improve performance while accessing the data.